Black metal truly is a special place. Where many would normally expect to see different musicians in many different acts like what much of the rest of the genre witnesses on a very regular basis, black metal is one of the few places where we can quite regularly witness a single person take their creative freedom on a solo adventure the likes of which many other sounds just don’t get to see. We find ourselves practically inundated with musicians that manage to practically do it all across multiple acts. It’s only in the last few years that the entity known as Zannibal has made a name for himself in acts like Paisaunt and, more notably, Marrasmieli, yet it is here with his third project, Sammale, that we get what’s likely his most refined creation to date.

When you spread out your influence across many different creations, it can be quite hard to differentiate between them all if you’re not careful with only the finest and most meticulous of musicians able to overcome such a challenge to ensure that each of their projects has a distinct sound that does more than just draw people in. While I mourn the loss of Marrasmieli, it’s clear with everything that has been summoned within “Ikiharmaja” that Zannibal has managed to continue on atmospheric black metal is such a form that manages to offer justice for the previous works of Sammale while ensuring a natural and satisfying evolution for the act’s sound. Focusing a little bit more on the metal aspect of its sound compared to previously releases, it’s every given facet of “Ikiharmaja” that ensures the work is simply gorgeous and enthralling to become lost within. An autumnal album that sees beauty in sorrow and glory in the withering so that something new can grow, this is what nature-centric atmospheric black metal can and should be when put in the hands of someone who can not only competently craft such a work, but one who takes great care in his work. Zannibal has already proven to be capable many times over across the many works he has already put out with Sammale and others, yet “Ikiharmaja” stands tall. Like a resilient redwood whose grandeur cannot be understated, what’s delivered throughout this record is something that can and should be used as a template for what it means to deliver high quality material in this style that is simply awe-inspiring.

I have been intimately aware of the capacity that one man can deliver in the vast landscape of black metal, but to witness something like this unfurl is always something that will give me great pause. To see something so lovingly crafted and given an undeniable level of attention to detail backed by an undeniable prowess is something that dreams of made of when it comes to metal, and Sammale more than delivers the goods. For all that was summoned within “Ikiharmaja”, it demands to be said that this is a name we should not allow to fade into obscurity lest we miss out on true talent.

LISTEN to “Ikiharmaja” on Bandcamp here.

FOLLOW Sammale on Instagram here.